SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER 2023
The
issue
editorials SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2023
22 PERFECT PAIRING
RABBIT HOLE BOXERGRAIL / DIESEL WHISKEY ROW BOXERGRAIL Rabbit Hole Distillery and Diesel Cigars collaborate around the distillery’s Boxergrail line, a bold whiskey composed of 95% rye packing a serious punch. Diesel blended this namesake smoke for the whiskey and it does not disappoint.
24 PERFECT PAIRING
WRITERS’ TEARS COPPER POT / JOYA DE NICARAGUA ANTAÑO CT Flying its Irish legacy flag high, Writers’ Tears delivers a classically-styled whiskey, triple-distilled and aged in ex-bourbon barrels. Add a sumptuous Joya de Nicaragua Antaño CT and the day looks a lot better.
27 VETTE CITY ROAD TRIP An hour north of Nashville in Bowling Green, Kentucky, is mecca for Corvette owners and we’re on the spot, taking in the GM factory where America’s most revered sports car is made. We also hit the Vette museum, conveniently located near the plant.
51 GOLDEN STATE SHOWDOWN Two new cars, one a Tesla, the other a gas-powered Audi A4. We put them both through the paces through the hilly and sometimes mountainous terrain of the Left Coast. And yes, there is a winner.
75 THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD A Miami-based hospitality group, a love of cigars and refined dining meet in an emerging area of the city, and one of the partners, a Cigar Snob alumni, tells how it all came together.
8 | CIGAR SNOB | SEPT / OCT 2023
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features SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2023
14 LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
16 FEEDBACK
18 WHAT’S BURNIN’
34 SMOKING HOT CIGAR SNOB FUEL AND FIRE FEATURING BLACKENED BY DREW ESTATE
57 RATINGS
82 X SCOREBOARD
84 INSTAGRAM SCOREBOARD
86 EVENTS 86 PCA WELCOME PARTY STG MEDIA COCKTAIL PARTY
88 MY FATHER AND TATUAJE’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
90 NESTOR MIRANDA’S 80TH BIRTHDAY PARTY
92 AGING ROOM AT SABOR HAVANA 94 LA AURORA AT EMPIRE CIGAR LOUNGE 96 SISTERS IN SMOKE BRUNCH 98 CARLITO FUENTE AT SERAFIN DE CUBA CIGARS
10 | CIGAR SNOB | SEPT / OCT 2023
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BY GAVIN MALISKA
FEATURING
CAMACHO BROADLEAF
BIG FLAVOR, BOLD PERSONALITY In the quest for excellence, no corners were cut. The result is an oversized Honduran Broadleaf packed with giant flavor and crafted with precision and passion. A cigar with an“ALL OR NOTHING” attitude. No compromises. No settling. This bad boy is tailored just for you - no questions asked.
golden state
showdown
California’s undeniable natural beauty is a playground for driving and a gift to our four-wheeled friends. The treasures lie in the backcountry of the deserts of the southern lowlands and mountain ranges of the Sierras, but the paths that run among them, including paved state and federal highways, are also ripe for pleasure. We took advantage of the perfect summer
Images courtesy of Tesla, Inc. and Audi Communications
weather and drove some of these roads and are here to tell the tale of two cars, one steeped in tradition and the other based on an emerging, albeit small, enthusiasm for something fresh. We leave you as always to draw your own conclusion.
BY STEVE MILLER
48 CIGARS
There goes
the neighborhood Chef Michael Beltrán of the Michelin-starred Ariete is bringing top-tier hospitality to the cigar bar game in downtown Miami by Nicolás Antonio Jiménez / Photography by Erick Quituizaca